After our five days in Paris, my friends Allison, Anna, Micayla, and I went to Greece for the next five days! This was a very interesting trip to say the least. We experienced cool and strange Airbnb hosts, pickpockets, black sand beaches, and some of the most beautiful scenery all in a short span of time. Personally, I don't feel like I was able to really experience the culture of Greece due to the extensive amount of tourists, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the beautiful country. Here's the dizzying tales of my adventure in Athens and Santorini, Greece!
Wednesday, October 1
We left early from Paris and flew to Athens, Greece without much trouble. However, getting to our Airbnb proved to me more difficult than I thought it would be.
I had pretty explicit directions as to how to get to the tram station near our host's apartment, and then we planned on calling her to meet us in the town square. However, when I tried to call Amy (our host), the phone I received from MUDEC that was supposed to be used internationally didn't work. So we were stuck in the middle of Greece and were absolutely clueless as to where to go. We started asking locals and nearly all of them pointed us in different directions.
We decided to go into a beauty salon and ask directions. None of the workers spoke english very well, so I decided to use a word that is universally known. Wifi (Whiifhii or whee-fhee). The girls were nice enough to give me the wifi password and we google mapped where our destination is. Unfortunately, we were still just as clueless because we couldn't figure if we should go left or right out of the salon, and (once again) the workers were of no help. However, I sent an email to Amy saying that we were hopelessly lost and we are trying to find her.
We made our way through a market, still nobody wanted to help (I think they were afraid of our intensely intimidating "Lost American Girl" look), and then we found ourselves back to where we first started. I saw this one girl with long red hair asking "Jayne?". I have never been so happy to see a stranger yell my name in my life.
After 2 hours of running around, we finally met Amy and she took us to her apartment which was only about 100 meters away from the tram stop. She took us up to her place and two little dogs and her mom came to greet us at the door. Their apartment had a very artsy style, complete with a naked manikin in the foyer and inspirational quotes spray painted on the walls (they were in a different language so I'm not exactly sure what they said...). But it was a very cool place and both Amy and Olga (her mom) were incredibly nice and told us about stuff to do in Athens. We learned that they are both artists - Amy wants to go into film (as well as is in a band) and Olga writes lyrics and poems.
After we settled down, we made our way towards the Acropolis. Before we reached the ruins, we encountered a museum right across the way and stopped in. There were a lot of artifacts that we were able to see and some restored pieces that were awesome!!
Once we were done there, we headed over to the Acropolis which is on top of a big hill so we had quite a climb. Once we reached the top, we bought our tickets and explored around. I got yelled at for trying to take a picture of Hula Dave because it was disrespectful. But I took a picture anyway... Here it is plus some more!
Wednesday, October 1
We left early from Paris and flew to Athens, Greece without much trouble. However, getting to our Airbnb proved to me more difficult than I thought it would be.
I had pretty explicit directions as to how to get to the tram station near our host's apartment, and then we planned on calling her to meet us in the town square. However, when I tried to call Amy (our host), the phone I received from MUDEC that was supposed to be used internationally didn't work. So we were stuck in the middle of Greece and were absolutely clueless as to where to go. We started asking locals and nearly all of them pointed us in different directions.
We decided to go into a beauty salon and ask directions. None of the workers spoke english very well, so I decided to use a word that is universally known. Wifi (Whiifhii or whee-fhee). The girls were nice enough to give me the wifi password and we google mapped where our destination is. Unfortunately, we were still just as clueless because we couldn't figure if we should go left or right out of the salon, and (once again) the workers were of no help. However, I sent an email to Amy saying that we were hopelessly lost and we are trying to find her.
We made our way through a market, still nobody wanted to help (I think they were afraid of our intensely intimidating "Lost American Girl" look), and then we found ourselves back to where we first started. I saw this one girl with long red hair asking "Jayne?". I have never been so happy to see a stranger yell my name in my life.
After 2 hours of running around, we finally met Amy and she took us to her apartment which was only about 100 meters away from the tram stop. She took us up to her place and two little dogs and her mom came to greet us at the door. Their apartment had a very artsy style, complete with a naked manikin in the foyer and inspirational quotes spray painted on the walls (they were in a different language so I'm not exactly sure what they said...). But it was a very cool place and both Amy and Olga (her mom) were incredibly nice and told us about stuff to do in Athens. We learned that they are both artists - Amy wants to go into film (as well as is in a band) and Olga writes lyrics and poems.
After we settled down, we made our way towards the Acropolis. Before we reached the ruins, we encountered a museum right across the way and stopped in. There were a lot of artifacts that we were able to see and some restored pieces that were awesome!!
Once we were done there, we headed over to the Acropolis which is on top of a big hill so we had quite a climb. Once we reached the top, we bought our tickets and explored around. I got yelled at for trying to take a picture of Hula Dave because it was disrespectful. But I took a picture anyway... Here it is plus some more!
After we were done at the Acropolis, we went towards a popular area and got some dinner. We all ordered Gyros (of course) and it was so good! They gave us so much food I could barely eat it all.
Afterwards, we did a bit of shopping, but decided to head because all of us were feeling super tired and Anna almost got pick-pocketed.
Once we returned, we were treated to Greek Mountain Tea and some sort of shot that tasted like liquorish (I thought it was the same alcohol that was in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but I was told it wasn't). I thought it was good, but the other girls didn't think the same. That's ok - here's to new Greek experiences!
Thursday, October 2
Amy was nice enough to drive us to the port so we could take our ferry to Santorini. It wasn't too far, but it we had to be there by 6:30am, so Amy sacrificed some of her sleep for us (which I will forever be grateful).
We boarded the Blue Star Ferry and were off to the beautiful island of Santorini. We sat on the higher deck (outside) so we could get the full experience of sailing the ocean blue. It was very cold and we were in the spot where the sea-sick people hung out, but it was still a very beautiful ride! We stopped at numerous islands before we finally arrived at Santorini (8 hours later).
Once we docked, we looked for a guy holding a sign with the name of our Airbnb. We found him without much trouble, and met with another American girl who was working in Kuwait and visiting Santorini for a short vacation. She was a cross-fit instructor who helped girls learn how powerful they can be. This was extra special because the girls she worked with were all raised in a male-dominated culture and were suppressed their entire lives. I was fascinated by her story of finding this position on Facebook and decided to spend a year working abroad.
Our Airbnb drove all of us (my group of 4 and the cross-fit girl) to the hotel. We had to drive up a mountain and took zig-zag turns at such speed that I thought we were going to fall off the edge. We didn't. We are still alive. And we had a great view of the ocean once we reached the top.
We got to our hotel and checked in. The two guys at the reception desk were incredibly nice and told us exactly where we should go to fully experience Santorini. He gave us a map and sent us on our way. He did, however, tell us that the water from the tap was not okay to drink. Actually, all of the water that came from the faucets was salt water (it was quite the surprise when I showered that night).
We went up to our room and were floored by how nice this place was! There were 5 separate beds, a kitchen, and a bathroom along with a small patio that overlooked the pool of the hotel next door. There were palm trees and beautiful flowers all around that really made it seem like a true tropical destination.
We got dressed in our fanciest outfits and hit the town. We wanted to make our way to Fira which is the best place to watch the sunset. It is very similar to Oia, which is the iconic town of Santorini.
To get to Fira, we had to take a bus. The bus stop was right in front of a bar, and one of the patrons convinced us to get a drink before our bus came. We shared a couple of fruity cocktails which were incredibly good, and listed to the talkative patron who apparently owned a bar down the street, studied dentistry, and lived in Luxembourg for some time. He was interesting to say the least.
We got on our bus, and made it to Fira where we watched the beautiful sunset, had a mini photo shoot, and went to a restaurant that had outdoor seating that gave us the most beautiful view I could imagine.
We order Greek salad and Moussaka (quick side note: I have no clue why those Wonderbread sandwich girls made fun of Tula for bringing moussaka to school for lunch. This was one of the best meals I ate in Greece). Anyway, we had a great waiter who brought us blankets while we ate since it was getting chilly after the sun went down.
Once we finished, we went shopping and bought some souvenirs as well as baklava. After some time, we decided to head back to our hotel and call it a night. We did, however, watch Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to celebrate our time in Santorini.
Friday, October 3
I don't necessarily have a ton to say about today. We literally woke up, had a good breakfast on the patio (consisting of rice cakes, nutella, peanut butter, and nuts), went to the beach, and spent the entire day relaxing on the black sand while drinking sangria. It was the most relaxing day I've spent in Europe so far, and I think it was much needed.
While we were relaxing, we met some women from Indiana and had a good conversation with them, then returned to our relaxing. We ate lunch (I got lamb) and took a walk, then that night since we had such a big lunch, I just ordered some pita and hummus for dinner.
We walked around that night (shopped some more), ate some baklava, and went back to our hotel. We had to wait until midnight until our hotel called their driver to take us back to the port where we would board our Blue Star Ferry (again) to take us back to Athens. Here's some pictures of Santorini
Afterwards, we did a bit of shopping, but decided to head because all of us were feeling super tired and Anna almost got pick-pocketed.
Once we returned, we were treated to Greek Mountain Tea and some sort of shot that tasted like liquorish (I thought it was the same alcohol that was in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but I was told it wasn't). I thought it was good, but the other girls didn't think the same. That's ok - here's to new Greek experiences!
Thursday, October 2
Amy was nice enough to drive us to the port so we could take our ferry to Santorini. It wasn't too far, but it we had to be there by 6:30am, so Amy sacrificed some of her sleep for us (which I will forever be grateful).
We boarded the Blue Star Ferry and were off to the beautiful island of Santorini. We sat on the higher deck (outside) so we could get the full experience of sailing the ocean blue. It was very cold and we were in the spot where the sea-sick people hung out, but it was still a very beautiful ride! We stopped at numerous islands before we finally arrived at Santorini (8 hours later).
Once we docked, we looked for a guy holding a sign with the name of our Airbnb. We found him without much trouble, and met with another American girl who was working in Kuwait and visiting Santorini for a short vacation. She was a cross-fit instructor who helped girls learn how powerful they can be. This was extra special because the girls she worked with were all raised in a male-dominated culture and were suppressed their entire lives. I was fascinated by her story of finding this position on Facebook and decided to spend a year working abroad.
Our Airbnb drove all of us (my group of 4 and the cross-fit girl) to the hotel. We had to drive up a mountain and took zig-zag turns at such speed that I thought we were going to fall off the edge. We didn't. We are still alive. And we had a great view of the ocean once we reached the top.
We got to our hotel and checked in. The two guys at the reception desk were incredibly nice and told us exactly where we should go to fully experience Santorini. He gave us a map and sent us on our way. He did, however, tell us that the water from the tap was not okay to drink. Actually, all of the water that came from the faucets was salt water (it was quite the surprise when I showered that night).
We went up to our room and were floored by how nice this place was! There were 5 separate beds, a kitchen, and a bathroom along with a small patio that overlooked the pool of the hotel next door. There were palm trees and beautiful flowers all around that really made it seem like a true tropical destination.
We got dressed in our fanciest outfits and hit the town. We wanted to make our way to Fira which is the best place to watch the sunset. It is very similar to Oia, which is the iconic town of Santorini.
To get to Fira, we had to take a bus. The bus stop was right in front of a bar, and one of the patrons convinced us to get a drink before our bus came. We shared a couple of fruity cocktails which were incredibly good, and listed to the talkative patron who apparently owned a bar down the street, studied dentistry, and lived in Luxembourg for some time. He was interesting to say the least.
We got on our bus, and made it to Fira where we watched the beautiful sunset, had a mini photo shoot, and went to a restaurant that had outdoor seating that gave us the most beautiful view I could imagine.
We order Greek salad and Moussaka (quick side note: I have no clue why those Wonderbread sandwich girls made fun of Tula for bringing moussaka to school for lunch. This was one of the best meals I ate in Greece). Anyway, we had a great waiter who brought us blankets while we ate since it was getting chilly after the sun went down.
Once we finished, we went shopping and bought some souvenirs as well as baklava. After some time, we decided to head back to our hotel and call it a night. We did, however, watch Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to celebrate our time in Santorini.
Friday, October 3
I don't necessarily have a ton to say about today. We literally woke up, had a good breakfast on the patio (consisting of rice cakes, nutella, peanut butter, and nuts), went to the beach, and spent the entire day relaxing on the black sand while drinking sangria. It was the most relaxing day I've spent in Europe so far, and I think it was much needed.
While we were relaxing, we met some women from Indiana and had a good conversation with them, then returned to our relaxing. We ate lunch (I got lamb) and took a walk, then that night since we had such a big lunch, I just ordered some pita and hummus for dinner.
We walked around that night (shopped some more), ate some baklava, and went back to our hotel. We had to wait until midnight until our hotel called their driver to take us back to the port where we would board our Blue Star Ferry (again) to take us back to Athens. Here's some pictures of Santorini
We boarded at 1:15 and set sail soon after. We found the perfect spot (inside - thank goodness). We were able to put together some comfy chairs and sleep the entire way.
Saturday, October 4
We docked, found our Airbnb host (Kostas), and he took us to his house. He lived fairly far away from the hustle and bustle of the Athens we experienced before, which was actually really nice. Kostas was an orthopedic surgeon with a very nice house equipped with olive vines and orange, apple, and banana trees.
We had our own wing - completely closed off from the rest of the house. There were two rooms, a bathroom, living room, and kitchen. We planned on making dinner for ourselves to save some money and enjoy the Greek experience.
We went for a walk along the beach (this time it was white sand) and stopped at a bakery where we bought these huge rolls filled with chocolate and crossed the street and ordered some frozen drinks. We were right along the beach, so we were able to watch the waves and Greek people spend extraordinary amounts of time relaxing in the ocean.
We then bought some ingredients for omelets and Greek salad and made our way back to the house. We made dinner, ate the glorious meal, and relaxed for the rest of the night. We told Kostas about our day and when he realized that we bought olive oil, he was upset because he has very large vats of it in his garage. Apparently he makes it himself and it's much much better than any store bought brand. He was nice enough to fill a water bottle with it and let us take it home. We went to bed early because we were going to have one final early morning here in Greece.
Saturday, October 4
We docked, found our Airbnb host (Kostas), and he took us to his house. He lived fairly far away from the hustle and bustle of the Athens we experienced before, which was actually really nice. Kostas was an orthopedic surgeon with a very nice house equipped with olive vines and orange, apple, and banana trees.
We had our own wing - completely closed off from the rest of the house. There were two rooms, a bathroom, living room, and kitchen. We planned on making dinner for ourselves to save some money and enjoy the Greek experience.
We went for a walk along the beach (this time it was white sand) and stopped at a bakery where we bought these huge rolls filled with chocolate and crossed the street and ordered some frozen drinks. We were right along the beach, so we were able to watch the waves and Greek people spend extraordinary amounts of time relaxing in the ocean.
We then bought some ingredients for omelets and Greek salad and made our way back to the house. We made dinner, ate the glorious meal, and relaxed for the rest of the night. We told Kostas about our day and when he realized that we bought olive oil, he was upset because he has very large vats of it in his garage. Apparently he makes it himself and it's much much better than any store bought brand. He was nice enough to fill a water bottle with it and let us take it home. We went to bed early because we were going to have one final early morning here in Greece.
Sunday, October 5
We woke up at 4am and Kostas stayed up all night with his friends and just came home to take us to the airport (don't worry, he doesn't drink). Our flight went fine, and I was happy to get back to a country where I could at least read the letters on signs.
Our trip to Greece was tiring because of all of the traveling, but it was a beautiful country! It was very interesting to see the influence that tourism had on Greece in relation to the rest of the countries I've visited so far in Europe. In the more popular areas, you find large amounts of Americans and people wanting to sell stuff to them; whereas in the less crowded areas, it is a very relaxed atmosphere with very nice people.
Overall, Greece was a unique experience that I'm glad to say I experienced! We saw a lot throughout this trip and I'm happy to say that we survived!
We woke up at 4am and Kostas stayed up all night with his friends and just came home to take us to the airport (don't worry, he doesn't drink). Our flight went fine, and I was happy to get back to a country where I could at least read the letters on signs.
Our trip to Greece was tiring because of all of the traveling, but it was a beautiful country! It was very interesting to see the influence that tourism had on Greece in relation to the rest of the countries I've visited so far in Europe. In the more popular areas, you find large amounts of Americans and people wanting to sell stuff to them; whereas in the less crowded areas, it is a very relaxed atmosphere with very nice people.
Overall, Greece was a unique experience that I'm glad to say I experienced! We saw a lot throughout this trip and I'm happy to say that we survived!